For a good stretch in the last couple of weeks, it seemed like every single mock draft had the Arizona Cardinals taking Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray first overall. That trend is beginning to wane. Even in a recent mock draft by Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling, the Cardinals were projected to take Murray.
In Easterling’s latest four-round mock draft, that is not the case. Here are his picks for Arizona.
Round 1: Ohio State DE Nick Bosa
Easterling projects the Cardinals to take Bosa, the polished pass rusher who plays the edge, which is still a premium position.
It’s entirely possible that the rumors of Kyler Murray going here are completely true, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Bosa is arguably the most complete player in this entire draft, and he’s well worth this pick if the Cardinals want to stick with Josh Rosen.
There are many reasons to like Bosa. He has been consistently productive. He has the athleticism. He has the bloodlines. He even wins with technique, something that is not common among players coming out of college. He could be a double-digit sack guy as a rookie, even playing in a rotation with Terrell Suggs and Chandler Jones.
Round 2: West Virginia OT Yodny Cajuste
Eastlering has been fairly consistent here. Cajuste has been a common selection for the Cardinals with his mock drafts. A second-round tackle does not have to be a starter as a rookie and the Cardinals already have two starting tackles. However, adding Cajuste could give the Cardinals continuity beyond 2019 should the team move on from D.J. Humphries.
Round 3: Missouri WR Emmanuel Hall
A wide receiver at the top of the third round makes sense. Kliff Kingsbury has said how deep a receiver class there is in the draft. Hall has played in a spread offense. He has size at 6-2, 201. He has speed, having run the 40 in 4.39 seconds, and athleticism, as evidenced by his 43.5-inch vertical leap and 11-9 broad jump. He could be the guy to take the top off of defenses that Kingsbury wants. The deep ball is his specialty.
Round 4: Auburn CB Jamel Dean
Dean has the ideal body type and athleticism for the NFL. He only started one year and has had three major knee surgeries, but there are things to like about him. Like Cardinals safety Rudy Ford, also from Auburn, Dean could be a special teams stud with a higher upside at cornerback.
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